NEW PORSCHE RACER UNVEILED FOR CARRERA CUP

THE NEW Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car for the 2018 to 2020 Australian Carrera Cup series was launched at a gala function at San Remo’s Silverwater Resort on Friday night.

Along with the unveiling of the new racing machine, new incentives, and a new three-level race structure were also announced.

The new 911 GT3 Cup (Gen 2) has been developed from the ground up. It has a new 4.0-litre naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine’s power output is 357kW (485hp), an increase of 91KW (25hp) over the old unit. Torque has also increased, to 480Nm.

Transmission is a Porsche six-speed sequential dog-type, changed manually by paddle shifters with electro-pneumatic assistance, and new cars sees the return of the driver-aided braking with the Bosch anti-lock braking system.

The car has new front and rear aprons for improved aerodynamics, while safety has been enhanced with an enlarged roof hatch in the aluminium and steel hybrid constructed bodyshell.

It has revised software for vehicle diagnostics on the steering wheel display. Extra sensors on the car supplement the content information available.

Porsche 911 Carrera Cup Car for 2018

Over 100 drivers, sponsors, stakeholders and media attended the launch with current Carrera Cup Australia drivers and teams having first option to purchase, followed by GT3 Cup Challenge participants and then other interested parties.

The new class structure for next year will see the Elite Class now divided into Professional-Amateur (Pro-Am) and Amateur (Am) in addition to the existing Outright class for Professionals.

“Carrera Cup is, first and foremost, Porsche customer sport and it’s critical we get the right mix of professional and semi-professional racers,” said Porsche Cars Australia Director of Public Relations and Motorsport, Paul Ellis.

“As well as providing a level playing field for the best professional drivers to showcase their talent we also need to make the series appealing for the semi-pros which form the backbone of Carrera Cup in Australia.

Ellis added that there are some significant figures in the lifecycle of several key components between scheduled maintenance; engine run time is doubled now to 100 hours while gearboxes can run 30 and 60 hours between minor and major services, respectively. The reintroduction of ABS will be used exclusively for Pro-Am and Am competitors.

We’ll have more details about the car in the next issue of Auto Action on sale Thursday, and a full Under The Skin in the following issue. Make sure you Make sure you follow Auto Action on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for a reminder then the magazine goes on sale.